In the past, I've written about the need to have a personal development plan as a part of your strategy for becoming a better leader. Last week, at the Building Champions Experience, I had the opportunity to attend a breakfast with author and speaker, Michael Hyatt. In his presentation, Michael made the case for how a personal development plan will help you go further faster in your career and personal life. Here are my takeaways from Michael's presentation:

The first step in going further faster is to know where you are going. Michael's recommendation was to set aside time to ask yourself a few important questions:

What is my purpose for wanting to grow in this area?

What do I want achieve from my growth in this area?

What is my vision for where I want to be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now as it relates to this specific area of my life?

There are three reasons why someone would want to go further faster:

You want to speed up the learning process to get to your destination faster.

You don't want to reinvent the wheel, and prefer to learn from the successes and failures of others.

You want to avoid the common mistakes that are made along the way.

There are three ways to go further faster:

Read the best and most relevant information related to the specific area you want to improve in. Utilize resources like Google, Wikipedia, blogs, books, and books summaries.

Sign up for specialized classes in the specific area you desire to improve in. Look for outdoor retreats, half-day classes, internet classes, and courses at your local college.

Hire world class experts to personally coach you. If you have the money look at the expense as an investment in your future development. If you don't have the money, then look for a pastor, friend, peer, or someone that is willing to mentor you.

Michael ended his encouraging presentation by asking us to consider what continued growth and development would do for our overall contribution both inside and outside the office. He challenged us to consider what a commitment to personal development as a leader make possible for those you love and serve each day.

I hope you find these insights and takeaways encouraging and helpful. You can learn more from Michael and read his blog by clicking here.